The European Public Sphere

Abstract

The traditional notion of the public sphere outlined in the previous chapter has initially been developed departing from the nation state as its reference framework and did not discuss the idea of a supranational or European public sphere. However, these days many politically important decisions are made at the EU level. The European integration process has led to a shift in governance from the national state to the supranational policy level and is increasingly affecting people’s lives (Beetham and Lord 1998).